Nobody Taught Me How to Add an ADU: A Practical Homeowner’s Guide Planning, Permits, Costs, Design, and Avoiding Expensive Mistakes

An ADU can create rental income, provide private space for family, support aging parents, or give your property more flexibility. It can also become an expensive mistake when zoning, site conditions, utilities, financing, or construction costs are misunderstood.INCLUDES THE PREMIUM DIGITAL PACKAGEThis paperback includes more than the printed guide. It also includes access to a complete collection of digital resources designed to help you apply what you learn and organize your project. Access instructions are printed inside the paperback.The Premium Digital Package includes: - The complete 170-page digital edition of the book - The 50-page Expanded ADU Digital Companion - Printable and fillable companion versions - 49 numbered planning tools, including worksheets, calculators, checklists, research forms, and trackers - A 220-page combined linked book-and-companion editionNobody Taught Me How to Add an ADU gives homeowners a practical, plain-English path from the first idea through feasibility, budgeting, design, permitting, construction, and long-term use. It helps you investigate the right questions before paying for plans, compare realistic project options, work more effectively with professionals, and recognize the problems that derail schedules and budgets.Inside, you will learn how to: - Define the purpose of your ADU before choosing a design - Research zoning, setbacks, access, parking, and other local requirements - Evaluate the lot, utilities, septic or sewer, and site constraints - Build a realistic all-in budget with contingency - Compare financing, design, and construction paths - Evaluate contractors, bids, contracts, change orders, and payments - Track permits, inspections, punch-list work, and final records - Prepare the finished ADU for family housing, rental use, or future flexibilityWhether your goal is rental income, housing for aging parents, space for an adult child, or long-term flexibility, this guide will help you make a better-informed decision before the expensive commitments begin.